Abraham had wealth and servants, but he didn’t have children. Was he going to be a father someday or were his servant’s children going to inherit his wealth?
The promises of God are great and energizing, but after years of not seeing them come into fruition, they can have a way of making us feel stuck. Although, Abraham had a nicely furnished tent, it was cold and empty. Over the years, Abraham and Sarah had prayed, hoped, and obeyed, but in this junction they were full of questions rather than excitement!
But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” Genesis 15:2-3
Abraham asked a specific question. He wanted to know if he was going to have a child born to him or were his servant’s children going to inherit his wealth. The above scripture reveals Abraham’s faith level and vision for having a child. He seemed relegated to the fact that the promise of having children was not for him but possibly for Eliezer the servant in his household.
Waiting has a way of making us repackage God’s promise in order to understand it. Since the circumstances don’t show anything on the horizon, we tend to reinterpret the promise. This can be a dangerous because it can lead us in the wrong direction. Outwardly it may look like we still have kept the faith, but we are really covering our doubt by trying to reinterpret the promise.
Fortunately, Abraham asked God a question rather than making his own decision about the interpretation of God’s promise. God honored Abraham’s question by giving him a visual lesson.
Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Genesis 15:4-5
God preached through his creation by taking Abraham outside. Abraham was able to look at the skies and the stars and get a revelation of the vastness of God’s handiwork!
There are a few things we can learn from this visual lesson. I’ll share those lessons in the next devotional.
